Christmas Decorators, The
Be part of The Christmas Decorators – the UK’s favourite seasonal decorating company. Chosen by celebrities, national brands and many other iconic clients, including premiership footballers and Harrods. Our successful franchisees provide bespoke decorating services for both commercial and residential properties.
Investment: £25,000 plus VAT, plus additional working capital
Investment Amount:
£20,001 - £50,000
Industry Sector(s):
B2B Franchises, Creative Franchises, Home Based Franchises, Management Franchises, Specialised, Women In Franchising
Who are The Christmas Decorators?
The Christmas Decorators design, manufacture and install spectacular festive decorations and lights to homes and businesses both indoors and outdoors across the UK.
As a Christmas Decorator, you will be offering a professional service from initial decoration concept through to takedown. With a keen eye for detail and a team of fitters supporting you, you will work in partnership with your clients to make their Christmas, seasonal, or event decoration dreams come true.
You will benefit from our prestigious brand reputation and growing portfolio of A-list clients. Our franchisees provide showstopping decorations for big brand names like Harrods, O2 stores, and Grosvenor Casinos.
Your Unique Opportunity
The Christmas Decorators currently operate successfully in 40 areas across the country and are rapidly expanding due to ever-growing demand from our local and national clients.
You’ll need an initial cash investment of £25,000 plus VAT, plus minimum additional working capital of £20k for the day-to-day running of the business. The Christmas Decorators can support you through the process to apply for additional funding if required.
Joining The Christmas Decorators gives you:
Earning potential of between £50,000 and £200,000 retained gross profit per year.
- Nine-day intensive training course to learn the ins and outs of the business.
- Ongoing support through your dedicated Business Development Manager.
- Security of being part of a British Franchise Association (BFA) Full Member franchise
- Your own exclusive operating territory
- Consistent repeat business with the opportunity to sign clients up to three-year contracts
- The chance to be part of an enthusiastic and fun-loving Christmas Decorator community
- Opportunities outside of the seasonal market to create and sell bespoke decorations for a variety of events, such as weddings, parties and corporate events
- Access to high-quality products unique to The Christmas Decorators
- Award winning team to help train and support you throughout the process of becoming a franchisee
Training, Support and Business Development
We’ll give you all the tools and skills you need to be a successful Christmas Decorator. There’s no previous experience needed!
You’ll receive an initial nine days' intensive training. This includes a combination of classroom training to understand the business model and hands-on practical training for interior and exterior decorating. Additional training courses are run throughout the year which are open to all franchisees looking to upskill.
You’ll receive continual support from your territory’s dedicated Business Development Manager. They’ll provide you with one-to-one support to grow your business and team, maximise development opportunities, and increase profits.
Ready to be Santa’s Decorating Helper?
Our franchisees come from all walks of life, but they all share a passion for making their clients’ festive decorating dreams come true and they all have a drive to succeed.
We are looking for self-motivated people, who are driven to run their own business under a successful brand name. If you’re not scared of working long hours during the festive period, have an enthusiasm for what you do and a keen eye for detail with excellent people skills - we’d love to hear from you!
Meet Shobna - Chelsea Franchisee
Shobhna is a Great British Franchisee Winner of 2022.
She swapped her tailored suits and heels for hi-vis vests and steel toe caps.
What did you do before joining the Christmas Decorators?
I operated a luxury diamond wholesale company. My company was a supplier to the Company of Master Jewellers which was by invitation only. We supplied to very high-end jewellers around the UK, like Goldsmiths etc. This closed due to the 2008 economic crash.
What made you choose The Christmas Decorators Franchise?
I moved to London in 2014 hoping to set up my jewellery company again in Hatton Gardens. Whilst I was waiting for the right time in the market, I wanted to pass my time and saw the ideal opportunity in The Christmas Decorators franchise, believing it to be a seasonal business which I could do in the winter months. I was swept off my feet by the success I experienced and never returned to the jewellery trade.
How useful did you find the initial training?
The initial training is very useful, especially if you are not from a creative background. In the creative workshops, we are taught how to put colours together, which floral picks can be grouped together to create designer trees and garlands, and amazing Christmas displays. There is also technical training in which we learn about fixing methods, the correct tools, and fixings for the type of work lighting, erecting giant trees etc. Throughout the year we are offered ongoing training in a number of areas relating to our work.
What kind of support have you received from the head office team?
Whenever I have required support with my installs, I will contact the head office team who have been outstanding in giving the correct technical advice and support. The head office team have supported me during site visits and client meetings, sharing their immense knowledge and any time spent with the team is priceless, you come away learning so much.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the business?
Being part of the franchise is key to my success. It’s the springboard you require when setting up a new business, I enjoy being part of the brand, and the team. The same way that Ronaldo is a great football player, but without his teammates, he would not have been able to score all those goals and experience the success he is now enjoying. Similarly, without the team at head office, I would not be as successful as I am. Each individual member at head office has some experience that they can share with us for our business to grow successfully.
I also enjoy being part of the brand. The strength and might of our brand name gives us an advantage over other companies when tendering for new business. It’s now a national and respected company and one that customers trust to do business with.
What advice would you have for anyone thinking of taking on a territory?
I would advise them to prepare and organise themselves well before the Christmas trade begins. Have plenty of stock and a variety of decorations. It is essential to have a good staff team as they are the face of your company. They should be trained to do all the jobs correctly so they feel confident when out on installs and be trained to deliver good customer service so that the customers come back every year.
What future do you envision for your business?
My business has been growing every year since I purchased the franchise. I have set myself high goals and I am confident of reaching them. I thoroughly enjoy the work we do, I love the work/life balance it affords, and the financial freedom I get from running a successful and thriving company.
Meet Jamie - Cheshire Franchisee
How Jamie swapped accountancy to becoming a successful Christmas Decorator.
What did you do before joining the Christmas Decorators?
For 20 years, I worked as a qualified accountant for numerous large businesses. Accountancy came easy to me and paid well. It’s a solid career. A respectable job. Once the pandemic was over I decided after 20 years of spreadsheets it had become groundhog day, and I needed a new challenge and the ability to reap the rewards of my hard work.
What made you choose The Christmas Decorators Franchise?
I had some experience installing Christmas decorations for a franchise and loved it. I would be thinking while I worked that there were better ways of doing the job, and efficiencies that could make the business better and more profitable. So when the opportunity came up to invest in a Christmas Decorators franchise, I felt it was the right time in my life and I was ready to put my money where my mouth is.
What has been the biggest challenge that has contributed to your business success?
I think one of the most important life events that has made our business a success was leaving school at 16 years old after my GCSEs and heading off to Art College. At the end of my course at 18, I thought that there wasn’t going to be a decent living for me in the creative industry so got a run-of-the-mill office job and fell into accountancy. I studied hard weekends and evenings whilst working and qualified when I was 24.
But my passion for art and design has always been with me, from day 1 as a Christmas Decorator I realised that art is a deep-rooted passion of mine and when you combine passion and work the results are awe-inspiring for our customers and massively rewarding for me.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the business?
The freedom that it affords me. After working for big businesses for many years I never found that the harder you worked the more recognition you got. Whereas running my own business I get to see the results and find this hugely rewarding.
How have you found the training and support?
The training and support is brilliant. We are going into our third year now and have attended additional training every year to help reinforce some of the things we have been learning during the set up of our franchise. There is lots of training on offer which is in-depth and gives you all the tools you need to run your franchise.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone buying a franchise?
To really commit to the franchise, throw yourself into the deep end and just enjoy yourself. Make sure you fully understand what you are buying into to make sure it’s the right franchise for you.
What future do you envision for your business?
The future is bright. We have doubled our turnover in our second year and then we plan just to keep building from there.
One of my strengths as an accountant was identifying inefficiencies and making improvements to processes, making things quick, slicker and streamlined. These skills are all transferable into the franchise world and I intend to set up my business to be run as best as it can be.
Meet Pia - North London Franchisee
Pia is one of our newest franchisees and has made a successful start.
What did you do before joining the Christmas Decorators?
I was working for the City of London Corporation at the Guildhall working as an event coordinator for less than a year, prior to that I had just come out of university, studying International Business.
What made you choose The Christmas Decorators Franchise?
As both a creative and business minded individual, The Christmas Decorators seemed to be a perfect fit. The attraction of earning enough money between September and January and then using the rest of the year to grow the business for the following year interested me. I had the backing and support from my father and other family members, knowing I had a strong network around to help me finalised my decision. Although I am the youngest franchisee, this decision to come on board at a young age gives me great platform for my future. I am learning to work for myself, be the key decision maker for my own business and delegate tasks out. I am also in control of my own time and can make decisions that’ll benefit the growth of my business
How useful did you find the initial training?
It was great for me to put my International Business knowledge from university into practice for my very own business. You are not able to learn everything in a short amount of time before the season begins during training, but franchisees and head office are there to support you whenever you need. You’ll find that you learn a lot of practicalities on site yourself.
What kind of support have you received from the head office team?
Although everybody is super busy throughout the installation season, I was never let down with support from head office. Whether it was a technical question about how many sets of lights can be connected, stock & delivery queries, finance & invoicing questions or design & creativity ideas, each person at head office was there to support within their field.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the business?
I enjoy building relationships with my clients and seeing their happy faces once the installation has been completed. Christmas is a delightful time for all and it’s so thrilling knowing that you’ve made their holiday even better! I also love the creative side, being able to pull some unique and lovely ideas together for my clients. Being part of the franchisee network is wonderful too as there are many ages and walks of life, it is great to have a large common interest that is unique to us.
What advice would you have for anyone thinking of taking on a territory?
Ensure that you have a network around you to support you during the season e.g. hands to make garlands. Organisation is a key skill to have as well as great customer service and people skills. This is a very unique franchise which is joyful yet demanding, enjoy each season as much as you can and it is great to know that there is always an end date – 25th December! There is endless growth and potential within each territory, you’ll build a great passion for Christmas and for expanding your business as much as you can!
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Dave & Dawn (Berkshire)
Dave & Dawn joined The Christmas Decorators after deciding to change their working lifestyle for one more suited to them. After both working stressful office jobs for many years, they wanted to enjoy the freedom of running their own business together.
The couple now run a successful Christmas Decorators business that has offered a chance to provide az secure financial position for their retirement and stability for their children. The couple most enjoy working in “a feel-good industry". They create designs and solutions for clients who are invariably delighted and grateful for their services, and they describe it as "a lovely feeling.” Their new lifestyle also helps provide the couple with the work/life balance they desired.
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